Cracking Metal
by Flipdarkfuture95
Summary: Three years ago, the Avatar was out of action, and forced into a painful and long recovery as lawlessness gripped the Earth Kingdom with the death of the Earth Queen. In Zaofu, Kuvira is torn between her nation and Suyin Beifong, who wishes to keep out of the situation. Kuvira looked up to Suyin as her idol, but even the strongest bonds crack.
1. Family

妹妹

* * *

_Four Elements Hotel, Badgermole Suite._

Like the other upscale suites of the hotel, the decor of the Badgermole suite absolutely screamed Earth Kingdom through and through. The richly paneled walls were painted in a deep uniform shade of green, while the trimmings were made of soft gold that she already sensed was fake as soon as she had walked in.

President Raiko had decided to match the delegates from the Four Nations to their respective nation's suite. Zuko and his daughter got the Dragon Suite. No surprise there. Desna and Eska resided in the Full Moon Suite occupying the other half of the hotel's 23rd floor. And even though Tenzin and his family just went back to their home at Air Temple Island, the Sky Bison Suite was still registered for their use.

Suyin's sigh carried on it's own in the cavernous suite. She sat on the edge of one of the plushest couches she had ever seen, sinking into the brown cushions slightly. The drained woman shifted deeper into the couch and tipped her head back with a groan, staring up at the geometric patterns carving up the ceiling.

There was a knock on the door, and Suyin glanced over at it.

Lin pushed them open, walking in without much of a announcement or a greeting. She simply came over and stood behind the couch, looking down at Su with a raised eyebrow. "How'd it go?"

Suyin closed her eyes. "It was like talking to a metal wall."

Lin folded her arms. "Mhm."

"Kuvira used to be so loyal to me." Suyin sighed and hid her face in her palms. "First Aiwei, and now her. They were the two people I trusted most in Zaofu outside of my family."

"It reminds me of trying to tell you not do so something stupid back when we were kids."

Suyin paused and frowned. She scowled at Lin as her sister slid onto the couch next to her. "I'm sorry, but there is a world of difference between being a difficult pre-teen and being a would-be dictator."

Lin shrugged. "Really? Both of them won't listen to anybody else."

Suyin rolled her eyes and sat up. Her eyes fell. "Kuvira has changed so much in the past three years. I'm terrified, Lin."

"She's brought much needed order to the Earth Kingdom. You have to admit that." Lin laced her fingers together and rested her chin on her knuckles. "Still, doesn't make what she's doing the right thing."

Suyin frowned, looking across at her. "I thought you'd be supportive of Kuvira's methods, to be honest."

Lin pulled a face and scoffed. "Hardly. There's a fine line between upholding the law and making your own."

"I must have missed that part of mom's famous lectures."

Lin saw Suyin's face darken again. "She stole my oldest son from me, half of Zaofu's guards deserted to join her army, and now she's threatening to take over the Earth Kingdom."

Lin nodded. "Seems like quite a departure from the loyal Guard Captain you once knew."

Suyin frowned and clasped her hands.

"I suppose it might make things clearer if I go back to the beginning."

Lin leaned back against the couch, her pauldrons clinking as she shrugged and folded her arms. "I've got some time on my hands, Su."


	2. Mother

妈妈

* * *

_Zaofu, Earth Kingdom (Empire)_

Korra still couldn't grasp the scale of the gargantuan walls of Zaofu's protective domes. Her eyes wondered up the curve of the sheer iron plating and ran over the criss-cross patterns of girders and support struts that bore the immense weight of the super structure.

She looked back down at the gentle curves and eddies of the carved metal foundations that formed the tiered terraces of the Beifong Estate, the tallest of which was the airship landing port, the only building to poke through the central gap at the top of the dome.

Korra furrowed her eyebrows with a frown. She remembered Kuvira after she and her friends first arrived in Zaofu. She remembered the moment she entered the dance hall and met Su, and also met Kuvira as they both just finished a metalbending dance. All of the women in the dance troupe were strong and fit to a tee, but Kuvira was something else entirely.

She kept thinking further, and her frown deepened as she recalled her kidnapping by Zaheer and the Red Lotus in the dead of night. She was out for most of the fight, but she recalled Su telling her that Kuvira and another guard were fighting Zaheer the entire time, keeping him busy. Not many people can claim to be able to stand toe to toe with a brutal fighter like Zaheer. Let alone keep him occupied. Even if she was at her peak during her battle with Zaheer, she felt that she would barely be able to stand up to him.

Come to think of it, Kuvira was also present at the devastation from Aiwei's trap in his escape tunnel. And of course she would have been leading the Zaofu guards during the hostage crisis at the Northern Air Temple. Korra's eyes widened as her heart caught at the memory of thinking her father was killed by Zaheer, only to find out afterwards that Kuvira had saved him during the fight.

Every single time Kuvira could be depended on, and never spoke out or complained. She was perfect in every way.

The image of who Kuvira used to be was extremely different from who she was now.

Korra clambered out of her thoughts as a owl-hawk's hoot echoed off of the gargantuan iron dome enclosing the city, taking on a eerie note as it reverberated without end.

She heard someone moving across the grass and glanced over her shoulder as Suyin met her on the well-lit garden path. She greeted Korra a somber smile and gestured towards the nearby opening into one of the estate's many gardens. Korra followed her through the metal arch.

Suyin glanced over her shoulder at the young woman, with a brief twinge of concern at how ragged she appeared compared to when she came to Zaofu all those years ago. Her trauma had not been kind to her. "I'm sure you want to know how things turned out like this between Kuvira and me."

They moved up the steps and into a cupola overlooking a field with metal lumps and shapes all scattered about, seated on their own pedestals.

"I know I've been gone a long time... but I thought she was your protégé?"

Suyin nodded, with a wistful memory visible from her frown. "She was more than that. She was like a daughter to me. I took her in when she was eight years old and nourished her talents." The woman's eyes twinkled as she gained a small smile, as if she were someplace else. "Even as a little girl she was always driven, determined to prove to herself that she was skilled and talented. And determined to prove that to me."

Korra frowned as she watched Suyin's gaze briefly catch for a moment before she bowed her head. "Her smarts and skill made her a natural leader, and she quickly rose through the ranks of the guard... I saw myself in her."

"What happened?"

Suyin turned to her, her eyes now full of iron. "Three years ago, after the fall of the Earth Queen, Raiko and Tenzin came to see me." ... A ghost of a smile danced on Suyin's features. "I remember that night well. We had just finished our annual creative gala..."

* * *

_Zaofu, Beifong Theatre_

The lights in the semi-spherical hall dimmed, shutting one by one from the outside edges of the theater with deep clicks, until the final quartet mounted on the highest point of the vaulted ceiling shone down a combined pillar of light onto the central stage, a raised dais of completely smooth black marble.

As the soft hums and strings of the orchestra fell away the audience hushed, gathered on successive balconies situated above the stage as all of their attention settled on the metal lotus flower that sat directly on the center, its petals splayed out in all directions. Like the stage itself, the outside of the lotus was colored a deep rich obsidian, trimmed with shimmering ripples of silver that threw the light shining down it in a dizzying display of brilliance. Arranged around the Lotus in a circle, Suyin and her troupe began the final finish of their performance.

Suyin led the way with her calm movements, which the other dancers responded to in quick succession, their feet tracing slow circles around the lotus. After the crowd answered with awed whispers and amazed silence, she and her dancers widened their movements and retreated to positions on the outer petals. As one they all bent their bodies low and thrust their hands forward, manipulating the thick inner petals to rise up into the air with a mournful groan.

In the shadows above the thick metal ring suspended over the stage, Kuvira took a deep breath, before looking up and nodding at the four other dancers. As one they dropped into the air below the ring, and launched their cables up to catch its smooth underbelly. She swung herself in tandem with the others, finding the movement automatic by now.

The four of them retracted their cables and fell through the air, landing on the waiting inner petals. They braced themselves against the gentle curved metal as the dancers below pulled the leaves towards them, before releasing control and allowing them to snap back up, launching the four central dancers into the air.

Kuvira watched the giddy grin on her partner, Zui, as she sped past with a quiet giggle. She couldn't help the smirk as she used her metalbending to cling briefly to the waiting leaf, waiting until it springed back before letting go.

Suddenly their leaves bucked and launched them upwards, and they landed back on to the metal ring above in perfect unison. Below the audience gave a collective gasp of wonder.

Zui peeked down as Suyin and the other dancers widened their movements to the edges of the stage and guided the petals of the lotus in lazy , and almost jumped as they shifted to unfurl, the refined metal making only a whisper of noise as it did so.

"Ready, boss?" Zui whispered, her outstretched fingers lacing around Kuvira's.

Kuvira returned her enthusiasm with a amused chuckle. "Always, Zui."

The two of them dropped once more from the ring as the petals of the lotus began to rise up, landing inside its heart just as they snapped shut with a loud clang that filled the theater.

A second later, Suyin and her dancers relaxed, reaching outward to open the petals, revealing the two of them with one leg extended upwards, their ankles resting against one another and arms held out for balance.

Kuvira shook herself, bringing back the calm smile as she reaffirmed her balance, keeping her outstretched ankle rested against Zui's.

The rapturous applause of the gathered citizens of Zaofu swallowed up the entire auditorium with its thunder. Cheers and whistles and yells of congratulations rang out as They all took a deep breath and bowed deeply, followed by the dancers lined up behind her.

Zui and Kuvira glanced up and bowed to the crowd, with Kuvira again seeing that many of their eyes were on her in particular. She frowned at the lack of joy she usually felt, at the absence of pleasure and bliss that came from completing the rigorous demands of her dance one most of all had been the most complex yet.

"Ladies and gentlemen. We all express ourselves in our own unique way, and in our fair city all forms of expression and individuality can be found. One such concept gave life to this beautiful lotus flower, shaped by the wondrous mind of my son, Huan. Usually, I would dedicate our performance tonight to these values, but instead I wish to present it in honor of Avatar Korra's brave and selfless actions against the terrorists known as the Red Lotus. Although they had infiltrated our city, it was due to the actions of her friends and that of Zaofu's guards that they were forced out of. Their bravery was equally matched by Captain Kuvira and her guards, and this dance is a display of the skill and camaraderie that ensures that our city is the safest place in the world."

Kuvira raised her eyebrow as Zui leaned over. "I think Baatar was watching you the entire time." She whispered in her ear with a small chuckle.

Kuvira glanced over her shoulder at the balcony box overlooking the front of the stage, just in time to catch Baatar Junior look away with a start. "Let him watch."

Kuvira shifted her feet slightly, resting on the balls on reflex to keep from falling over as her leg muscles protested. Her gaze shifted away from Baatar, as she spotted President Raiko and Master Tenzin seated in the balcony nearby. She frowned.

* * *

"That was a excellent performance, Suyin."

"Thank you, Tenzin. But I doubt the two of you traveled here for the sake of watching a dance."

Raiko and Tenzin were seated on the two couches in the office, facing one another. Raiko clasped his hands and turned to address Suyin, who stood over the table in between them, her arms folded.

Raiko cleared his throat. "Let's get down to business. The Earth Kingdom is in chaos. There's a vacuum of power, and I'm concerned about what will happen if someone doesn't take control of the situation."

She frowned, looking up from the beautiful scale model of Zaofu with its domes unfurled, giving the appearance of six shining silver lotus flowers lying on the floor of the mountainous valley.

"And you think I should be the one?" Suyin folded her arms and frowned.

Tenzin nodded, taking over from Raiko. "Yes. You're the perfect person to take charge. The world leaders trust you, and, as a Beifong, you have credibility in the Earth Kingdom."

Suyin's frown stayed the same, and only deepened. "I'm honored that you thought of me, but I'm not interested in imposing my ideals on an entire nation." She lowered her arms with a firm shake of her head. "I'm afraid I can't help you.

Kuvira turned her head slightly with a concerned look at her matriarch. Her eyes flicked to the side with a sense of hesitation, before she turned to Suyin, taking a step forward. "Suyin, I know this isn't my place," The older woman turned to look at her, and Kuvira faltered, but soldiered on. "But I think you should do this. Zaofu has always been a beacon of modern progress, and now you can share that with everyone."

"What would you have me do? March into Ba Sing Se with an army?" Suyin gestured out to the window. "We'd be seen as conquerors and greeted with nothing but war."

Kuvira shook her head. "There are already wars. The Earth Queen nearly destroyed our nation. This is our opportunity to change things-"

Suyin narrowed her eyes and cut off Kuvira. "It's not going to happen."

Kuvira's eyes fell to the side before she nodded, keeping silent.

Suyin turned away from her to Raiko and Tenzin. "I appreciate the time you both took to travel all the way here, but my answer is final. I'm sorry."

The two men couldn't hide their frowns, but they both nodded. "We respect your decision." Raiko said, already making his way towards the door. Tenzin followed him out into the hallway and they left Suyin's office. "...My Air Disciples are going to be stretched thin, but we'll make do with what we have..."

Suyin pinched her nose in frustration as she flicked her hand at the door, swinging it shut behind the two leaders.

Silence filled the room as she found herself staring at the model of Zaofu on the coffee table. She leaned over it, as if searching for a answer inside the finely wrought curves and sleek silvery spires of the city's separate districts.

Behind her, Kuvira shifted uneasily with her eyes firmly kept on the wall.

Suyin breathed a sigh out and looked over her shoulder at the young woman.

"You can always speak freely around me, Kuvira."

Kuvira shook her head right away. "I shouldn't have done that. I was out of line, I-" At the encouraging smile Suyin gave her, Kuvira paused. She began again. "...Why can't you take charge?"

"Do you trust me, Kuvira?"

"Of course I do. I alway have. I always will."

"...Then please respect my decision."

Suyin's answer was short and curt, and far from what she was expecting to hear.

Despite that, Kuvira nodded and moved around the couch to take her leave. "Yes... Ma'am."

* * *

_Outskirts of Zaofu's territory, on the border with the State of Mao._

Kuvira kept a firm grip on the wheel as she guided the jeep down the dirt track, scanning the rocky and fissures in the craggy cliffs around them. Goat-Cows occasionally strayed across the road and forced her to swerve, but the patrol continued to remain quiet in the past few hours.

In the passenger seat, a young guard with a unruly mop of brown hair grinned at Zui.

"And so I shot right past 100 push-ups in a row. I was completely pumped, I was pumped so hard that I barely felt 200, and now I'm nearly at 300 on a daily basis!"

Zui's eyes barely flicked to look at the young guard as her eyes wandered up at the snowcapped peaks marking the entrance to the Zaofu Valley with disinterest and boredom. "You know, normal people aren't obsessed with push-ups, Daru."

Cowed, he fell quiet and hanged his head. "...I just thought you'd find it interesting, Zui..." He looked back up, his eyes darted around for a moment before he tried his luck again. "So... you two really nailed the final act last night."

In the side-view mirror Kuvira caught Zui shaking her head at the obvious bait.

Kuvira narrowed her eyes to see through the dust kicked up by the jeep's tires. She squinted to make out a group of figures on the side of the dirt track. Without turning around she gunned the engine, putting her foot down. "Keep a lid on it. There's someone up ahead."

Zui and Daru exchanged glances with each other as they hurriedly put their conical helmets back on.

As the jeep rolled to a halt on the stony dirt, Kuvira opened the door and stepped out, placing herself in between the jeep and the group of haggard people. She noticed the sheltered clearing they were all huddled in, surrounded on three sides by sheer rock walls and the last opening onto the road itself.

One of them scrambled to her, dropping at her feet as he slipped on the road's pebble-strewn flank. Kuvira's hand shot out to steady him. "Metalbenders! We're refugees from Ba Sing Se! Please, take us in, take us to Zaofu!"

Kuvira frowned and looked at the entire group, noticing a long gone out campfire at their feet. Her eyes narrowed when she spotted the smudged and bruised faces of girls and boys hiding behind their mothers or grandparents, with the unluckiest standing on their own. Her eyes fell on a little girl in a patchwork dress, who stared up at her in silence.

"Our jeep isn't large enough to hold all of you. We need to-"

"Bandits!"

The little girl's ear-piercing shrieks filled the air as Kuvira whirled around, staring up at a group of bandits sliding down the hill on the other side of the road using slabs of stone. At the same time a series of grinding noises and booming thuds reached her ears as Daru stood up and gritted his teeth, pointing up the road. "They've blocked both ends of the road!"

"Get down here, stupid!" He yelped as Zui pushed him over the door and onto the road to take cover behind the jeep's side as rocks and stone missiles pelted the vehicle, shattering the windshield and leaving dents over anything exposed.

Kuvira went to rush to their aid when a long shadow fell over her, and the screams from the refugees grew louder. She turned in time to see a mecha tank drop to the center of the clearing, putting itself between her and the civilians.

Behind her Daru and Zui put their backs against the jeep, moving it forward with their metalbending as cover against the rock volley. "You take care of that guy! We've got these idiots!"

Kuvira advanced on the mecha-tank with a focused scowl. It opened it's metal claw with a sharp click and launched it at her with blinding speed. She grabbed onto the cable, about to redirect when she spotted crackles of electricity jumping along its surface. Kuvira dropped it and ran, ducking under its other arm.

She grew a thick metal blade out of her vambrace and stabbed it deep into the cheap metal plating before the mecha tank retracted its arm. She clambered onto its arm, balancing for a moment before launching herself directly onto the canopy.

Kuvira narrowed her eyes at the whimpering bandit inside the cockpit before she pressed her palm against the metal and tore off the entire top, exposing the inside. Her face grew stony as she whipped her cable forwards and wrapped it around his waist, pulling him out and sending him sprawling along the dirt with a screech.

The metalbender plunged her wristblade deep into the exposed circuitry and piping over and over, each time tearing free a chunk of metal or eviscerating something important. Soon the inside began to fill with black smoke as she retracted the blade and hopped to the ground.

She rolled to the side as the mecha tank's tracks sent it rushing up the flank of the road. Her eyes widened as she called out to Daru and Zui. "Out of the way!"

They turned and saw the stricken machine just in time to dive aside. It rumbled past them, knocking aside the bandits that they hadn't managed to subdue before crashing into the rock face and toppling backwards with a groan, belching black smoke up from it's completely wrecked casing.

The refugees were still pressed against the bottom of the cliff as she turned and walked over to them. "Is everyone alright? No injuries?"

They all shook their heads.

"Thank you. Thank you so much for rescuing us." Kuvira froze in place as the little girl grabbed her hand and beamed up at her.

Slowly, her shock went away and she smiled down at her. Kuvira squatted down in front of her. "I'll make sure we take you someplace safe, alright? I promise."

The little girl's eyes twinkled as she grinned up at Kuvira, stunned into silence. She kept nodding even as someone from the group grabbed her hand and ushered her away from Kuvira.

Kuvira straightened, breathed a sigh of relief and moved back up the road.

Daru sat up slowly, covering his side with a pale pallor to his face. "Ow... I really wish we had platinum or something in our armor... Thought we were the only metalbenders around..."

Zui shot up and bounced around on the balls of her feet with a huge grin visible underneath the bruises as she threw punches at the air, and frightened a nearby family huddled together. "I didn't even break a sweat taking out those chumps! They're just run-of-the-mill bandits!"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that..." Kuvira frowned, looking over the casing of the smoking machine's chassis. She touched her fingertips to the scorched metal, long caked in rust and dust. The rust rushed away from her fingertips as she slowly slid them across along the metal, clearing it up until it was almost as good as new, revealing the bright green symbol of the Earth Kingdom.

Deeply unsettled, her thoughts churned as she looked over her shoulder at Daru while he checked under the smoking hood of their mangled jeep. He shook his head. "Jeep's completely totaled."

She straightened and turned to them and the refugee group, unhooking her radio. "I'm calling for pickup. We're bringing you back with us to Zaofu."

* * *

_Zaofu Guard Quarters._

Daru's mouth hung open as his head slowly drooped to the side, coming to rest on Zui's shoulder. She grunted and stopped walking, folding her arms as Daru's eyes flew open and he stumbled forward with a squeak, managing to right himself. "Hey, I was just-"

Zui rolled her eyes as she came forwards and picked up his arm, over her shoulder. "You can't sleep on me."

The young guard fell quiet and shut his mouth, staring forwards with flushed cheeks. Up ahead, the squat apartments of the guard quarters came into view as laughter or chatting from inside carried to them. Kuvira turned to the two of them.

"Catch some rest, you two."

"Yeah, was planning on it." Zui mumbled as she walked past, beginning to half-drag Daru with her.

Kuvira sighed and took off her helmet. She rubbed her eyes as a wave of sleepiness washed over her.

Her eyes were on the verge of closing just as she heard someone curse behind her. She turned around, and her eyebrow raised. "Baatar?"

The young man, the spitting image of his father in his youth, gave a weak grin as he struggled up the hill while keeping a mountain of long blueprints still against his chest.

"Oh. Hello, Kuvira."

"Need a hand?"

"No. It's fine. I was working on some designs with my father and was just on my way back home.

He stopped with a shy grin, rubbing the back of his neck. "So... how are you?"

Kuvira shrugged her shoulders as she held out her arms, stepping away to slip off her pauldrons and chestplate. "Some bandits tried to ambush us when we stopped for a group of refugees today. You?"

"That's awful..." Baatar Jnr shook his head and cleared his throat. "Uh, nothing quite so adventurous. I proposed that we extend Zaofu's rail system beyond the valley to the surrounding towns and cities."

Kuvira's attention turned to the pile of rolled up blueprints he held in his arms. "That's a lot of work."

"I know. But I thought that with the Earth Kingdom as it is, a high speed rail line would mean people wouldn't have to use the roads where bandits can ambush them."

"So what did he say?"

Baatar Jnr hung his head. "He said no. He doesn't want to risk our workers on any construction outside of Zaofu."

Kuvira crossed her arms. "It is very dangerous out there at the moment."

She followed Baatar over to the railing that encircled the crest of the hill. He turned and leaned back on it with a heavy frown.

"I know I shouldn't argue with my father, but... I think he's wrong. The risk shouldn't matter if we can help people. We can do so much more and I just think that if he would just listen to me for once and stop treating me like a assistant than-" Baatar Jnr winced as he realized he had raised his voice and looked away. "Sorry for the outburst." he murmured.

Baatar Jnr rubbed his chin with a frown, before loosing a deep breath. "Those refugees should be able to resettle in the new apartments father is constructing down in the Badgermole district. Or have the old ones after the tenants move out."

"Good. They're safe now."

Baatar gave a nod. She noticed his gaze wandered on her as he took a step closer. "Uh... listen, do you want to unwind down at the-"

"Ah. Kuvira, you're back from patrol."

Kuvira and Baatar Jnr turned around to see Suyin coming up the hill from the trainstop. "Mother?"

Suyin smiled at him. "Junior, would you mind giving us some privacy?"

Instantly he bowed his head, beginning to retreat down the hill. "Of course, mother. I'll see you back at the manor."

Kuvira watched him go, sighing inside at the umpteenth time this had happened. She thought he would have learned to ask straight out by now.

Suyin smiled, waving goodbye to her oldest son as he made his way down the hill to the tram station. She turned to Kuvira and chuckled. "You know he's had his eye on you for a while."

Kuvira gave her mentor a look. "I never noticed."

Suyin chuckled again. "Right. Of course. But you don't want to talk about that." Suyin glanced to the side and sighed as she came to the railing. "You're still frustrated with my decision to turn down Raiko and Tenzin, aren't you?"

Kuvira tensed up, and went to shake her head. "No, Suyin, I respect your decision and-"

"I've seen that look plenty of times, Kuvira. You're never one to mask yourself." Suyin raised a eyebrow with a amused smirk. "Although the last time you were _that_ frustrated with me was 9 years ago. Remember that game of Pai Sho?"

Kuvira rubbed the back of her neck with a grumble. "I remember _you_ cheated. I was only a kid."

Suyin shrugged. "I was never good at the game like you were. I had to work very hard to beat you regardless."

Kuvira grinned. Soon it disappeared as she turned her thoughts back to the present. She pressed her lips as her thoughts went back to their turmoil. "...I'm the captain of your guard, Su. I know it's not my place to go against your wishes."

She glanced at Suyin, who smiled, and gave a encouraging nod for her to continue.

Kuvira continued. "It's just that it's frustrating sometimes to see that the Earth Kingdom is in so much trouble. I just think we can do so much more to help out the rest of our people." Her eyes wandered over the shining spires of the city as the sunset basked it in warm light. The sight gave her the familiar sense of peace she always felt. "Zaofu is the safest city in the world. Everyone here lives their life to the fullest, and lives their life without fear." Kuvira turned to Suyin. "And it's thanks to you and your family. You've helped so much people, including me. Why not help them now?"

Suyin frowned, before turning to Kuvira with a gentle smile. "I don't think I'll be helping anyone by forcing our way of life on them. By forcing them to accept our rule, we're taking away their right to freely live their lives. I'd like to help the Earth Kingdom out of this mess, but not at the expense of imposing our will on others to achieve peace. The slope between good intentions and going too far is very short."

"I'll keep that in mind, Su."

Suyin chuckled and clasped Kuvira's shoulder, grinning even as she frowned. "There's no need to be so glum. Zaofu is lucky to have you in charge of our protection." She clapped Kuvira's shoulder as she moved past, heading onto the path that wound back up towards the mag-rail to the Beifong compound. The older woman waved a hand over her shoulder.

"Goodnight, Kuvira."

"Goodnight."

Kuvira searched the ground for a few moments, before loosing a quiet sigh and turning back towards the guard barracks to catch some sleep.

* * *

Korra watched as Suyin closed her eyes and sighed.

"I didn't realize it at the time, but that moment put a rift between us. Eventually, Kuvira turned my own son against me, and together they plotted behind my back. I thought I was doing the right thing by keeping Zaofu out of the mayhem that had gripped the rest of the Earth Kingdom." She opened her eyes as her voice changed to a low whisper. "I didn't want to impose my ideals on a entire nation like the Earth Queen did... I thought I taught Kuvira better."

Korra rubbed her elbow. "...Are the towns she controls actually safer now than they were by themselves?"

Suyin raised her eyebrow. "If you're asking me if they no longer fear leaving their homes or can walk around without a bandit raid to scare them, then... they are safer." She narrowed her eyes. "But Opal told me that Kuvira's forces completely occupy each town they 'liberate'. At first they come with food and supplies, to make themselves saviors of the people... but after Kuvira makes the town's leader or governor bow to her and fly her flag... that's when her brand of control is exposed."

She turned to Korra. "Do you think the Earth Kingdom is truly better off under Kuvira, Korra?"

"I... don't know." She paused and a awkward silence began. Korra glanced at Suyin, and picked her words carefully after some intense thought. "...Avatar Yangchen brought peace to the entire world for a entire generation. And Avatar Kyoshi saved the Earth Kingdom from a uprising and from a wannabe conqueror. I think that being safe is what people truly want."

"Freedom and choice should never be taken from a person to guarantee peace or safety."

Korra took the plunge. "I want to fix this."

Suyin turned to her. "You can. Go into the Avatar State and demolish her entire army. Remove Kuvira from power once and for all."

Korra shook her head "Fighting is something the old me would do. That always made things worse. Let me talk with Kuvira. Maybe I can reason with her."

"Kuvira doesn't listen to reason, the only way is for you to-" The glare came back, but Suyin managed to calm herself down with a sigh. She offered a warm smile. "-We'll talk about it later. For now I want you to rest. You must be bone-tired."

Korra shook her head. "No time for that. I need to get down to Kuvira's camp as soon as possible."

Suyin frowned, which soon went away as she saw the resolve on Korra's features. She relented. "...Come find me when you come back. As long as Kuvira honors the terms of the truce, I'll honor it as well."

"Sounds good."

Suyin glanced at the young woman as she left the cupola, her eyes downcast as the lie filled her with shame.

* * *

妈妈


	3. Children

孩子**  
**

* * *

_Beifong Estate, Present Day._

The hoots of a hidden owl-hawk roosting amid the trees outside of the vaulted windows echoed into the dark study. Suyin stood hunched over her desk for a few moments after pacing back and forth for the past couple of minutes.

She looked up and around the room, her eyes stopped at her shelf, each row weighed down and cluttered with all sorts of objects.

For a moment her sight lingered on the photo of the old junk she traveled on after falling in with a pirate crew for a few years that eluded the United Forces at every turn, and even got enough attention for a 'visit' from Avatar Aang himself at one point. Suyin winced inside as she remembered the lecturing he gave her before going back to Republic City.

In the darkness she overlooked the normally vibrant necklace of carved emerald cubes from the Cave of Two Lovers, and the small but richly painted bongo drums she carried with her from her brief time in the Foggy Swamp, gifted to her by a old wise man of the swamp tribes.

On the shelf below sat a expertly carved oni mask from the Fire Nation, painted in brilliant swirls of blue and red. Another photograph stood next to it, and it took Suyin a few moments to spot where she was in the massive crowd of circus performers.

Suyin sighed and moved back to her desk, her own thoughts continuing to clash with her. She stared at the photo of her and her husband, and then the other of her family, before looking down at one of the drawers. She hesitated before pulling it open, moving her hand inside before finding it.

She pulled out another framed photograph, slowly turning it over to stare.

Her hand trembled as she held the old photograph of herself and Kuvira. Her eyes brimmed as she remembered how long ago that picture was taken. Rich black hair and no wrinkles to speak of. The girl she had managed to wrestle onto her lap had a wide grin with a missing tooth that only seemed to enhance it.

Suyin closed her eyes, the first genuine smile she had in a while began to form as the warm spring day came to mind, clear as glass. She almost could hear her own voice in her ears.

_"It's simple. Just like this."_

_They sat on a simple bench in the garden. She smiled down at the little girl, who stared with wide eyes at the spiky ball of metal that floated lazily above Suyin's palm. __"But it's made of metal. How are you doing that? That's really cool!"_

_Suyin chuckled as she made the metal ball spin around on its ends, getting a delighted giggle from Kuvira. "My mother taught me. And now I'm going to teach you."_

_The little girl froze and stopped laughing with a gasp, looking up at her in wonder. "Really?!"_

_"Yep." Suyin got to her feet and bent down to hoist Kuvira so she could stand on the bench next to her. Suyin placed the metal ball in her hand. "Just give it a try. As best you can!__"_

_The little girl frowned. "But... I don't know how... and the others say I'm not a very good metalbender..."_

_Suyin shrugged and wagged her finger. "My mother taught me that all elements in this world work together to form one whole. Metal is just earth that has been purified and refined." The woman leaned in with a wink. "You'll find it easier than you think to metalbend. I believe in you."_

_The grin reappeared on Kuvira, and she gave a confident nod. __"Hmph! Okay!"_

_"Now... picture what you want to create in your mind, and let the metal work towards what you want."_

_The little girl took a deep breath, and furrowed her eyebrows. The ball didn't move from her palm, and she almost cracked a eye open to look at it before trying even harder to keep them closed. Slowly, after a few seconds, the ball began to lift from her palm into the air, the morning sun catching on the silvery surface._

_"I'm doing it!" _

_Suyin grinned down at Kuvira as she stuck out her tongue and furrowed her brow, deep in concentration as she wiggled her fingers at first, before slowly tracing flowing circles with them. Depressions in the smooth surface appeared and disappeared, before long the sphere flattened into a ovaloid. Kuvira grunted and splayed her fingers, and the outer edges peeled away from one another, becoming petals. _

_Suyin was taken aback when Kuvira floated the metal lotus flower in front of her, awed at the intricate shape._

_"I made it! I made a flower!"_

_The little grinned up at her as Suyin laughed and wrapped her in a hug. "Well done, Kuvira! You picked that up quickly!"_

_Suyin stood up and held out her hand for Kuvira to hop down to the ground. "Let's go find Baatar Jnr, he'll love to see the flower you made!"_

Su hung her head and placed the photo face down on the desk with a hoarse gasp amid the dense silence, the darkened office replacing the bright garden.

"I wish it didn't have to be like this." Su muttered.

She turned away from her desk, her eyes set on the door back out into the hallway as Wing and Wei both poked their heads in with clear frowns, dressed entirely in black like she was. "Everything cool, mom?"

She joined them out in the hallway, hanging her head for a moment before giving her answer her sons. "I'm ready. Let's end this."

Suyin's eyes glistened as they took on a hard edge. She pulled the black hood over her head and pulled up her facemask. She gave a resolute nod to her sons and followed them out into the night.

* * *

_Zaofu Training Grounds, 3 Years ago._

Zui bounced on the balls of her feet, and cupped a hand around her mouth to call across to the two boys. "You ready to take us on?"

Wei narrowed his eyes at Wing. "Why do you bring doom upon our sacred brotherhood? We never win!" he hissed out of the side of his mouth.

Wing waved a dismissive hand at his twin, only for it to falter as he watched Zui launch into a series of warm ups, rolling her bare shoulders and muscled arms. He slumped forwards for a moment before shaking his head and seeing the dirty look from his brother_. _He shrugged and continued to watch the two young women with a dopey grin, dressed only in their training tanktops and loose baggy pants. "Winning isn't everything, Wei..."

Wei screwed his eyes shut with a long groan at his twin, opening them and calling across to Kuvira and Zui. "You two are the best of the best in the city! We're toast!"

Kuvira sighed and shook her head as she craned her neck forward, holding up the end of her hair and slipping a small metal ring on to contain it while Zui called across to the two twins. "Remember that game of powerdisc last week?"

"...Yeah?"

Zui winked at Kuvira and gave her answer to Wei with a big grin. "Payback!"

Wing winced and rubbed the back of his head as he looked at Wei. "At least, you're not stuck training with Bolin..."

Kuvira rolled her eyes. "This isn't going to last long..." she muttered, as Zui shifted her foot forward, resting it slightly on a metal plate resting in the dirt near their bare feet. Her eyes fell on another plate under Wei and Wing.

She shot a quick look at Kuvira, who responded by stomping her foot, floating the plate in the air between them. She sent it spinning it forwards with a graceful swipe of her arm, prompting shouts of alarm from Wei and Wing at the other end of the square.

"That's too easy!" Wei grinned as he swiped his leg, knocking the plate aside into the garden wall with a thick thud. "Got anything else?"

Zui exchanged a look with Kuvira, who took the opportunity to lift up three metal plates from the dirt and throw them in quick succession at Wing. Just as the trio of spinning plates were easily halted by the twins, Zui had stomped her foot down again. A rumble rushed through the dirt before it stilled.

The twins prepared to retaliate when a corner of metal glinting in the sun shifted in the dirt beneath their feet. Their eyes widened at the same time, and their yelps filled the air as a metal plate lifted into the air underneath them, carrying them upwards. Kuvira windmilled her arms and flipped the plate over in a instant, dropping them into the air as Zui ran forwards with a grin, lifting up the smaller plates from before and sending them careening into the twins.

Wei and Wing were thrown to the dirt in a crumpled heap. Their groans filled the garden's air.

Zui exhaled a breath and danced backwards towards Kuvira with a triumphant fist pump. "That's how its done, boys!"

The twins clinged to each for support as they rose, faces paled and bruise. He glared at Wing as his twin slid through his grasp onto the ground again.

"C'mon you idiot!" Wei dragged Wing behind him onto the stone bricks lining the sparring square, grumbling under his breath the entire way down the garden path towards the estate.

Kuvira chuckled as she moved towards the sitting benches on the side of the field, grabbing one of the neatly folded towels and draping it over her shoulders. She closed her eyes in bliss at the damp fabric.

"Ah... I do love these early morning workouts." Zei said with a smirk as she grabbed the cloth from Kuvira's shoulders, tipping her neck forward with a sigh as she rubbed the sweat from her shoulders.

Kuvira led the way up a series of stone steps winding away from the field and curling around to stop at the base of a cupola that stood in the garden. The two women made their way up the steps into the interior, with Zui flicking her finger at a nearby radio that sat on the railing.

_"President Raiko has just announced the construction of a statue in Republic City's world famous parklands, dedicated to Avatar Korra, who everyone sorely misses from our daily lives!"_

Zui dropped onto one of the metal benches and Kuvira joined her. She took a sip from her water bottle and handed it to Zui. She took a long swig, some spilling down her chin and onto the wooden boards as she wiped her mouth. She glanced at the radio, and back at Kuvira."So, was Su speaking the truth about the Avatar?"

Kuvira clasped her hands and nodded. "Su took out the metal poison from the Avatar's body, but from what I hear... she's crippled because of what those Red Lotus terrorists did to her."

She fell quiet as her thoughts turned elsewhere, remembering what Baatar confided in her the night before.

Zui noticed the heavy frown on her. "So what's the problem? Everything's fine here."

Kuvira didn't answer immediately. A few seconds passed before she sighed and shook her head. "Aren't you concerned about what's going on in rest of the Earth Kingdom? Those bandits on the road and those refugees are commonplace now. Every day, they prey on the weak because the Grand Army has completely splintered. Some of the bandits actually are Earth Kingdom soldiers."

Zui grimaced, but shrugged. "Our job is to guard Zaofu, Ku'. And we make it the safest city in the world. We can't police the entire continent by ourselves." A grin appeared. "Although sometimes I wish we could-"

"Kuvira."

She paused and turned from Zui, surprise briefly showing at the sight of the heavily built water tribe man standing at the top of the steps to the garden cupola. She caught a brief glimpse of Zui's eyes glazing over before turning her attention to the new arrival. Kuvira straightened her posture. "Chief Tonraq? It's a surprise to see you here in Zaofu."

Tonraq moved into the cover of the cupola, giving a nod to Zui. "I was just on my way to inform Suyin that some of my healers will be staying here in Zaofu to assist your men in their patrols. I hear it's getting very ugly out there."

Zui shrugged with a grin. "Don't worry, we're up for anything, uh, Chief."

He bowed his head. "No need to tell me. My ships will also be patrolling the naval approaches on the coastlines to dissuade any bandits from attacking fishing villages in those states. I understand that Suyin declined the offer from Raiko and Tenzin to take charge of the situation?"

Kuvira briefly looked down before giving a tight nod. "...That she did. I'm confident in her leadership, though." She glanced at Zui and then back to Tonraq, hoping her voice was as firm as it sounded to her. "If you don't mind me asking, how is your daughter faring in her recovery?"

Tonraq's eyes fell. "Slowly. But I'm positive she'll recover someday."

"Does that mean she'll be able to assist us in restoring order to the Earth Kingdom?" The words tumbled out with a hint of desperation Kuvira couldn't do enough to hide.

Tonraq paused, before shaking his head. "I don't know. She can barely find the will to walk most days. I'm afraid she might be staying home for a long time." His frown deepened before he loosed a grunt and dipped his head to the two of them. "In any case, Suyin is waiting for me. Goodbye."

Kuvira bowed her head. "I wish your daughter well in her recovery."

A small smile appeared as he nodded, grateful for her words. Tonraq turned around and left the sheltered Cupola, moving down the steps and onto the garden path.

Kuvira sighed and shook her head as Zui tilted her head, watching Tonraq's rear as he left the training field with a dopey grin. "...Those water tribe men..."

"I wish you'd think of something else for once, Zui."

Kuvira noticed Zhu Li come into the garden, giving a brief nod to Tonraq just as he disappeared behind the wall. The small woman marched up the steps and came to a stop before them. "Captain."

Zui leaned towards Kuvira. "You're really popular this morning." She grinned at Zhu Li. "What's up, Zhu Li?"

Kuvira ignored her and folded her arms. "Zhu Li? What is it?"

The no-nonsense woman answered immediately. "Varrick wishes to see you."

"What crazy thing is it this time?"

"See for yourself."

* * *

_Varrick's Penthouse, Business District._

The elevator doors opened with a cheery ding and Zhu Li led the way out into a large room, the floor of the back half covered completely in rows of workbenches and lab stations. Various hodge podges of machinery littered the entire space, but it was the humanoid giant standing in the middle of the empty floor between the elevator and the rest of the workshop that caught Kuvira's attention.

In between the machine's cylindrical legs, Kuvira spotted Varrick as he laid on a roller-board, his tongue stuck out as he fiddled with a panel on the back of the contraption. He glanced down at them and grinned, pushing the roller-board out from under the machine and springing to his feet.

"Kuvira! You're just in time to see this new thingamajig!" Zhu Li came over and stood off to the side. He jerked his thumb back at his creation. "Do the thing, Zhu Li!"

She bowed her head and moved towards the machine, pulling a lever located on its waist. The frontal plates of its armored chest released spurts of steam as they slid open, revealing a seat shoved into a thick nest of valves, drive shafts and levers. Without a word she pushed her glasses up on her nose and clambered in.

Varrick cleared his throat and threw out his arms with a grin. "Presenting my Varri-Suits! Giving you and your brave guards the strength of twenty rabid moose-lions! Check them out!"

Kuvira placed a hand on her hip, looking up and down the humanoid machine with interest. Zhu Li's neutral face was visible behind a series of circular portholes on the dome that was it's 'head', as she tested its arms or legs, flexing them with surprising dexterity.

Still, she tilted her head and frowned. "That looks like a Mecha-Tank with legs."

To her amazement, Varrick just nodded, rubbing the tip of his moustached with a self-satisfied smirk. "I borrowed the blueprints from Future Industries shortly before being thrown in the slammer by Raiko, and put them to better use! You can use these babies for all kinds of jobs!" He cupped his hand. "Zhu Li! Juggle a few boxes or something!"

Kuvira could just hear a metallic groan coming from within the giant suit as Zhu Li guided it over to a stack of black boxes near a workbench. The Mecha Suit's hyraulics whined as its legs squatted and Zhu Li opened its hands to grab hold of the top boxes.

Slowly the Mecha Suit straightened, and threw up one of the metal boxes, catching it in the other hand while tossing another. Inside the suit, Zhu Li sighed.

Varrick folded his arms with a bark of laughter. "Isn't it something?"

"Hmm. How do they perform in a fight?"

Varrick snapped his fingers with a wink. "Glad you asked!" He moved over to the microphone on the workbench and brought it up to his mouth. "Zhu Li! Break out the flamethrowers! And the lightning gun!"

On the mecha's right arm, Kuvira raised a eyebrow in interest as a pair of small burners popped out into view, small blue flames lighting the end of their nozzles.

Kuvira raised her eyebrow. "Do you actually know how any of this works?"

"What's there to explain?! It works, doesn't it?"

"Sir!"

"Hmm?" Varrick turned from Kuvira to see the mecha suit's arm flailing, spraying a never ending stream of flame around it. He scowled and waved his arm at Zhu Li. "Stop wasting the fuel, Zhu Li! That's all we have for the prototype! I gotta import that stuff from the Fire Nation, you know!"

"Something's wrong with the hydraulics! I can't control it!" Kuvira took a step forward when the Mecha Suit's arm swung towards her and Varrick, directing a great plume of flame at them. The out-of-control mech lurched forwards as Zhu Li's voice rang out from inside. "Look out!"

Kuvira took a knee and swiped her arm forwards and up, ripping up a section of the metal flooring as she pulled Varrick down behind it, taking cover with him as the massive plume met the smooth grey metal, hissing and roiling against it before it began to reach around the edges. Kuvira gritted her teeth as she spotted a fire safety box mounted on the wall nearby.

She took aim, taking less than a second to launch a wire that lashed through the glass and wrapped around the lever, pulling down. Overhead the sprinkles hissed as they released a heavy torrent of water drops, relentlessly beating down on the flames and giving Kuvira enough time to hold her hand to rip a fire extinguisher out of its bracket on the wall and pull it to her waiting grasp.

The flame hissed as she dropped the fire extinguisher in Varrick's lap, rushing around them towards the malfunctioning suit as Zhu Li fought to steer it away from any of the lab equipment.

Kuvira ran forwards, keeping low as she approached the lurching machine, hearing banging noises from within its chest plating as Zhu Li pounded on the inside. Just as Kuvira made for Zhu Li, the barrel mounted on the Mecha Tank's left wrist began to crackle and roil as a blue glow filled its innards. She grunted and rolled to the side as a arc of electricity lashed out in a thick stream, leaving a trail of scorch marks and flames on the metal. The stream traced a erratic arc as Kuvira launched a wire from her waist at the suit's waist, launching herself forwards while a blade of metal extended from her bracer.

She grunted as her blade sunk deep into the chest armor of the machine, slicing a section of the outer shell off and revealing the inside of the machine. Kuvira shoved her hand through as she kept hold of the suit, and made curled it into a fist. She wrenched her arm backwards and peeled open the entire chest, revealing Zhu Li's perturbed features.

Kuvira grabbed her and pushed off of the machine just as Varrick shouted with glee somewhere inside the workshop. "Ha! Found the plug!"

The mecha suit's flamethrower finally ceased spewing flames, and its discharger gun powered down as it stumbled to a clumsy halt, slumping forwards with a final whine. Varrick ran around its side, holding onto the end of a massive cord.

"Good thing this hunk of junk needs a tether for power!" Varrick shrugged and dropped the massive electrical cable.

Kuvira lifted Zhu Li onto her feet. The woman brushed a loose hair back into her fringe and loosed a grateful breath, giving a grateful nod to Kuvira before looking at Varrick. "...Still need to work out some kinks, sir."

Varrick waved his hand dismissively. "Just another addition to the list of progress! Grab a broom and sweep up this hunk of junk! We gotta start building the next one! It'll be better than ever!"

Zhu Li slumped forwards and nodded. "...Yes sir."

Kuvira turned on her heel, rubbing her chin as she entertained the idea the machine represented. "...I'll keep it in mind."

* * *

_The Unconscious Badgermole. _

Kuvira had her cheek propped up by her hand as she sat on the high stool, slowly twirling her index finger to turn the small metal umbrella poking out of the bubbly green liquid in her glass.

"You saved his life at Laghima's Peak, right? When we were fighting that freaky forehead giant?"

She frowned at Zui before giving a nod. "Yeah." Kuvira sighed. "I can't imagine what it must be like for him with his daughter crippled."

Next to her, Zui set down her mug, settling low over it as she sipped at it with a delicate pace. Her eyes flicked to Kuvira whilst snippets of conversation echoed in the bar around them.

"I listened to the finals with the Fire Ferrets and the Wolfbats. The Avatar was absolutely wrecking the other team until they started cheating. And until the Equalists showed up."

"Huh."

"And after she unmasked that Amon guy, then a couple months later takes on her own uncle as the two Water Tribes fight each other. And then he turns into a giant monster and tries to wreck Republic City, but she still manages to beat him. " Zui blinked twice. "All of that in just a year. She's really something."

"She really was." Kuvira watched as Zui downed the last of her drink and pulled a frown, and started flicking the edge of the empty bottle. "It's hard to believe she did so much in such a short amount of time."

Zui stopped flicking the bottle and drummed her fingertips on the counter with a amused smirk, supporting her head with her other hand.

Kuvira raised a eyebrow. "What?"

Zui smiled and shrugged. "She actually reminds me of you, Ku."

"...I think you've had too much."

A grin slowly grew on Zui. She shrugged with a giggle. "You sure?" she asked with a hint of slur.

"I'm sure."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"...Okay."

Zui swayed a little in the stool as she glanced over her shoulder. She poked Kuvira in the side. "Hey. Look who's here."

Kuvira looked over at the door to the bar to see Baatar Jnr standing there, looking around nervously before making his way over to the bar and talking to the bartender. "Excuse me. Could I get a glass of lychee juice?"

The well-dressed bartender raised a eyebrow. "Of course, sir. Although that is from the children's menu. Are you certain?"

Baatar Jnr nodded quickly. "Just do it."

Zui stood up from the stool and stretched with a grateful groan. She patted Kuvira on the shoulder with a wink. "See you at the barracks."

Kuvira frowned as she watched her leave, before turning her attention back to Baatar as he drummed his fingers on the counter, keeping his eyes to himself. He flinched as a massive uproar of laughter filled the air of the room.

"Strange to see you down here at this hour."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I know. Usually I'm too busy working with father to come down to this place."

She got up from the stool and seated herself next to his. Kuvira folded her arms and tilted her head."...And you don't drink." She glanced at the bartender as he came back around, setting down a tall fluted glass of bright green liquid.

Baatar picked up the glass and took a small sip."I drink lychee juice. It's good for the mind."

"Lychee juice isn't a drink. I can get a umbrella for it, if you want."

He colored in the cheeks and glanced to the side as she stood up, looking across the room at a pair of open doors leading to a balcony. She patted him on the back and gestured. "Wanna take this outside?"

"...Alright."

She led the way from the counter, her boots clicking on the scratched and nicked floor. She headed through the doors of the bar outside, coming to a stop at the metal railing that girded the balcony.

Kuvira kept silent as she looked out over the balcony, while next to her Baatar Jnr rubbed the back of his neck as his eyes darted around. He glanced up at her for several seconds before finding a topic to talk about.

"So... Your patrols are getting longer by the week."

She gave him a quick glance. "There's more and more trouble brewing out there."

"You can't keep this up forever."

Kuvira shrugged. "I can certainly try."

"What if you didn't have to?"

"Excuse me?"

"What I meant was..." Baatar Jnr turned to her with a serious look. "-if you could bring back order to the Earth Kingdom yourself, would you do it?"

She squared her shoulders. "I follow Suyin. She knows what's best for Zaofu."

Baatar narrowed his eyes and chuckled once. "Does she? Sometimes I think mother lets her protectiveness get too out of hand."

Kuvira raised a eyebrow, taken aback at the bitter note in his usually meek speech. "Baatar..."

"Look at what we have here! Because of my father's work and my mother's ideals, we are the safest city in the entire world. We have a train system that allows for efficient transportation across the entire valley in a handful of minutes! We grow enough food to support ourselves five times over. We have the most advanced technology in the entire world. We are peaceful, due in no small part to the security you and your men provide, Kuvira. Wouldn't spreading that to the rest of the Earth Kingdom be a positive thing?"

Kuvira hung her head and sighed. She grimaced, taking a while before she could even answer. "You know what your mother's stance on the issue is. Not even President Raiko and Master Tenzin could convince her." Kuvira looked to the side. "I tried to make her reconsider, but it's not my place to override her wishes."

Baatar Jnr shook his head. "I disagree with her. Mother and father don't agree with my proposal to help the other nearby states rebuild themselves, either. We are the safest and largest state in the Kingdom, and I think it is only right that we should help everyone out, even if we have to take charge. But mother thinks we'd be no better than the Earth Queen. The _Earth Queen_." Baatar Jnr lowered his gaze with a sigh of despair. "My family is so closed off from the world. No one can come close to ruining the Earth Kingdom like the Earth Queen did."

She watched the young man sag down and rest his chin on the balcony railing. Kuvira glanced away from him, running her gaze over the hazy skyline of the district, soon she looked past the buildings, past the people, past the peaceful stilness, until her eyes settle on the ever constant shell that completely enclosed them all, dwarfing anything else in any of Zaofu's districts.

Once upon a time she loved the safety that came from the domes and serving Suyin. But now it just gave her a feeling of suffocation. "... I agree with you. Zaofu needs to do something more."

* * *

_Command Train of the Great Reuniter, present day._

Kuvira clasped her hands behind her back as she came to the smooth metal door, stopping in front of the two helmeted soldiers guarding its flanks. She glanced at either of them. And behind their dark green visors, they may have flinched a little.

They snapped off salutes and opened the carriage door for her. She nodded at them and walked through without a word into the bare metal room and stopped before its sole occupant.

She looked down at Suyin, who was chained to the floor. Her arms bound together in front of her by a massive iron shell that immobilized her hands, and her feet were chained together with a shining platinum brace.

Behind her the two guards moved into the room as escort, but she gave them a sharp look. "Give us the room."

"Ma'am." They stood to immediately and snapped off salutes before leaving through the door, going back to their posts just outside.

Suyin lifted her chin and glared up at Kuvira. "Where's Wei and Wing? What have you done with them?!"

Kuvira regarded her with a cold stare.

Suyin gritted her teeth, rising to her knees only to be jerked down by the restraints with a grunt. "Answer me!"

"They're safe and secure in another carriage. Platinum restraints, just like yours."

In the silence that followed Kuvira tilted her head. "So. Was it a kidnapping? Or a assassination?"

Suyin narrowed her eyes as she stared at the floor plating. "Either way you would be removed from power. And this nightmare would end."

Kuvira frowned. "Why do you believe what I'm doing is monstrous? You raised me to cherish freedom and choice. I've liberated countless towns and given people the ability to choose their futures, without fear and without any pressure. When you failed to act and take charge, the responsibility and the burden fell to me. This-" Kuvira's gaze hardened. "All of this, is because you took the wrong choice."

"You've just imposed another form of control over them! You're just like the Earth Queen!"

She shook her head and crouched down in front of Suyin. "No. I'm effective at restoring order. And I listen to what the people want. I give them a better future through safety and prosperity. I've unified our nation for the first time in history."

Suyin thrust her face close to Kuvira's with a growl. "I taught you better than this! This isn't how things are done in Zaofu!"

Kuvira didn't bat a eye as she rose to her feet. She held her head high. "You taught me a lot of things. But you held me as a prisoner. You held everyone in Zaofu prisoner. Even your own family."

Suyin narrowed her eyes. "My family is what I value most in this world!" She looked aside as angry tears brimmed in her eyes. "You used to be part of that! Then you stole my own son!"

Kuvira's massive metal pauldrons rose up as she shrugged, her face a blank. "Baatar and I broke away from your shadow of our own choice. And tomorrow we're going to free the rest of Zaofu from the same tyranny. _Your_ tyranny."

Suyin glowered, but didn't reply.

"You valued a society with no secrets, and Aiwei took advantage of that to betray you." Kuvira's eyes hardened. "And it seems I managed to keep a few secrets after all."

Kuvira turned her back on Suyin, moving back through the open door, leaving the older woman to hang her head, and begin to sob in silence.

* * *

孩子


	4. Daughter

女兒

* * *

_Beifong Estate._

In the middle of the open verandah occupying one of the flanks of the estate, Korra and Opal circled each other at a gentle pace. Korra shook her head and blinked away her fatigue, hiding it under a mask of focus.

Opposite of her, Opal held a slight frown. She glanced to the side as she automatically shifted her footing and changed direction, raising her arm and directing a gentle twist of air up it and into the space between her and Korra. Her eyes flicked up to Korra. "Now that you've seen that Kuvira's changed, you're going to take her down, right?"

Korra was silent, looking down with a shrug as she felt a brief pressure build in her arm before she released another gust of wind, making her falter for a moment. She recovered quickly. "I still don't know. I want to try and talk her down at dawn. Maybe we can still salvage the negotiations."

Opal's expression was nowhere near impressed as she sighed and nodded. "I hope you're right. But in any case, there's a possibility you'll have to fight Kuvira. Since I was born, Kuvira was the best metalbender in Zaofu. Bar none. You'll need to keep on your toes at all times if we want to rescue mom and my brothers."

She gave a slow nod. "Feels good to be doing something at least. This waiting is killing me."

Suddenly she faltered and leaned forwards, cutting off her airbending as she panted for breath. Opal frowned and came over, extending a hand. Without a word of protest Korra took it and Opal led her over to a nearby bench. "You know, it's okay if you want to catch some sleep before dawn comes. You don't have to stay up with me. When was the last time you slept?"

Korra thought back to her time in the swamp, and was uncertain if she even slept during her time there, apart from being unconcious when Toph found her. She shook her head "Like you said, I need to keep on my toes. I don't need to rest. Just need to catch my breath for a moment."

Opal frowned, but otherwise said nothing. She clasped her hands on her lap.

Korra took a few moments for her fatigue to disappear. She tilted her head at Opal. "So... you doing okay?"

Opal shook her head. "Not really. It's hard enough being stuck in the city with Kuvira's army right outside the walls. And my boyfriend is working for the enemy, so there's that too. Not a lot of room to feel safe or comfortable."

Korra chewed her lip for a few seconds, disturbed. "I remember getting a few letters from Bolin saying that he was leaving Republic City to work for Kuvira when I was recovering in the South Pole."

"And I only saw him for the first time in years a few weeks ago. I've tried convincing him that Kuvira is bad news, but all he sees is that they're reuniting the Earth Kingdom. I wish I could just take him to one of the towns they've 'liberated' to show him what Kuvira's really been up to this entire time!"

Korra blinked twice. "Things are a bit dicey between you? I thought you guys were happy together."

Opal exhaled and gave a curt nod. "We were. Until he decided to join Kuvira's army. She actually brought him along to try and talk my mom into giving up Zaofu! He thought that we could just get along! She's been using him and I haven't been able to do a thing about it!" Opal let off a massive grunt in frustration and dropped to the ground with a sigh.

Opal hugged herself and drew her knees up. "...I don't know anymore. This all feels so wrong."

Korra came over and sat down next to her on the step. "You can talk to me."

The airbender gave Korra a sad smirk before loosing a sigh."It's just... I used to look up to her, you know? Being in a family with four brothers was tough. I can't metalbend like Wei and Wing, or create art like Huan. And Baatar was always nice to me, but I was never smart enough to understand what he talks about whenever he was working on some big project with dad."

Korra rubbed her shoulder with a frown as she looked at Opal. "What about Su? She's like super-mom, right?"

Opal gave a weak smile and nodded. "She's a great mom. And she's also a great metalbender, a great dancer, a great teacher, and great at well... everything. All I was ever good at before I could airbend was reading books." Her eyes softened. "Back then Kuvira was the only person I could talk to without feeling excluded or weird. She was like a big sister to me. There was nobody in the entire city that didn't like Kuvira." Opal glanced to the side and scratched her elbow. "It's really hard to think that she's changed so much. Or worse, that she's always been like this."

"You make it sound like Kuvira was family to you."

Opal shrugged. "She was. I looked up to her. I wanted to do everything with her. And the way mom talked about her all the time... you could just feel how proud of her she was." She closed her eyes. "But sometimes it just felt like Kuvira was her golden child." Opal lowered her gaze. "Sometimes I felt like she wanted me to be like Kuvira. To be perfect." Her eyes brimmed and she hung her head. "...I shouldn't have said that."

Korra touched her shoulder. "It's okay." She frowned and scratched her head. "There's still something I don't understand. How did Kuvira go from being guard captain to being the leader of a entire army? She was completely dedicated to your mother and to Zaofu."

Opal glanced at her. "And in her own twisted thoughts, she probably thinks she still is doing the best for Zaofu." Her eyes flicked to the side, and then lowered. "...If anything, I suppose that I'm to blame for Kuvira leaving Zaofu."

Korra raised her eyebrow. "You? What did you do?"

Opal looked down at the ground inside her crossed legs. "...Allowed myself to get captured by the Dai Li."

Korra's eyes widened. "The Dai Li? They caught you?"

Opal slowly nodded. "Bolin came to Zaofu to see me shortly after I came back to begin my official missions as a Air Disciple. This was only a few weeks after you went back to the South Pole." She pressed her fingertips together and glanced away. "I should probably talk about that before I get to the part about the Dai Li..."

* * *

往

* * *

_Airship Landing Spire, Zaofu._

Opal hummed under her breath as openings in the metal walls of the shaft briefly showed in bright sunlight. She looked at Kuvira. "So... I heard you and Zui did a good job at the dance hall last week."

Kuvira looked at her and inclined her head. "Thank you, Opal."

The airbender smiled and looked away with a guilty sigh. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to attend."

"Don't be. What you're training for is important work. You're going to be helping people who are in need." Kuvira placed her hand on Opal's shoulder. "I think this is your calling. It's doing you good travelling outside of Zaofu."

Opal nodded and grinned. "You always know what to say." She folded her arms. "At least Tenzin allowed me to work from Zaofu. I can help people and visit you guys all the time."

She noticed Suyin shifted uncomfortably, having been silent the entire time.

"What's wrong, mom?"

Suyin tapped her fingers on her elbow with a worried smile at Opal as she turned around. "I just worry for you sometimes. You've been so busy going out and helping people all over the Earth Kingdom, you've barely had time to spend time with us.

"I'm sure that will change once we start getting things under control. I'm sure the instability won't last."

Suyin frowned. "Still..."

Opal shared a sigh with Kuvira and rolled her eyes. "Mom..."

Suyin chuckled and held out her hands. "What? Can you blame me?"

Kuvira glanced at Opal, then at Suyin. "Judging by Tenzin's opinion, Opal is remarkable at airbending. I'd be more worried for the bandits rather than her.

Suyin sighed as the elevator reached the top of the shaft, and the iron gates at the top opened. "Comforting." she said, turning around to lead the way out onto a large metal platform, the dark grey metal glinting under the bright and warm morning.

A cylindrical airship emblazoned with Republic City's symbol sat on the far end of the platform, its four propellers slowly spinning to a halt as a door on the front of its gondola rolled open. A ramp led down from the airship to the platform itself, and at the top of it a familiar figure strode out of the gondola doors, looking around for a few seconds before spotting them.

Opal left Kuvira and Su, jogging across the platform as she waved. "Bolin! Hi!"

"Opal!"

Bolin ran down the ramp and across the landing pad as Pabu held on to his shoulder with a shrill squeak, immediately scooping her up and spinning her around in a massive hug. As he set her back down, she had a massive grin. She gave him another hug, before he stepped back and put his hands on his hips as his jaw dropped. "What are you wearing?" He looked at the bright yellow neck cover before looking over the lithe crimson and grey body suit she wore.

She glanced at herself and her cheeks tinged for a moment. "Oh, right. Asami designed wingsuits for all of the Air Nomads to wear so we can fly without our gliders!" Opal spun around on her heel with a smile. "Bit clingy though. What do you think?" She grinned at him and twirled on the spot.

He just stared at her for a few seconds. "...Yeah. Clingy."

Opal rolled her eyes and batted him on the head. "Stop it. How's Korra doing?"

Bolin sighed and scratched his hair. "Not that well. She's kinda gone back home to live with her family at the South Pole."

Opal frowned. "That's a bummer. I hope she gets better."

"So what about you? You doing airbender stuff now?"

"Tenzin said I can stay in Zaofu and use it as my base for helping people all over the Earth Kingdom. My first patrol to Ba Sing Se starts tomorrow!"

"That's neat!" Bolin said as Pabu squeaked and hopped from his shoulder to Opal's, stretching to lick her chin.

She giggled and petted the Fire Ferret. "Hello to you too, Pabu."

Kuvira and Suyin joined them. "You're one of the Avatar's friends, right?" Kuvira said.

Bolin peered past Opal's shoulder at the guard captain and nodded.

"Yep. That's me. Bolin. It's uh... been a while since Korra left to go back to the South Pole, so... I thought I'd come here to, uh, spend some time with Opal." He glanced at Suyin. "If that's okay with you."

Suyin raised a eyebrow and chuckled. "Of course it is. I'm not going to get involved, it's wonderful having you here in Zaofu. A few members of your family even decided to stay and became guardsmen. Their metalbending skills are exemplary."

"Really? Oh." Bolin's voice fell for a moment.

Kuvira glanced at Suyin and arched a eyebrow. "What's the problem? Aren't you happy for their success?"

Bolin looked up and shook his hands. "No, it's - I'm very happy for them. It's just that... I don't metalbend. I can't do it. At all."

"Maybe so, but you got out of the Northern Air Temple because of your lavabending. You have a unique skill that I think would be nurtured by training with us."

Bolin rubbed the back of his neck with a unsure frown. "Maybe... I don't know."

"Give it a thought during your stay here at least."

Suyin came over and chuckled. "Bolin came here to relax, Kuvira. Zaofu is a sanctuary." Suyin raised her eyebrow at Kuvira. "Unless there's some kind of problem that I'm not aware of?"

Kuvira's thoughts went back to her patrols, and to her conversation the night before with Baatar. "...No, Ma'am. No problem."

"Good." She bowed her head to Bolin. "Enjoy your time here, Bolin." She turned around as the airship behind them lifted off with a loud whoosh of air, leading the four of them back to the elevator gates. She directed a wicked glance over her shoulder. "...Just try not to keep Opal up all night. She has important duties."

"Mom!"

* * *

The Sky Bison had its mouth open, constantly sucking in loud breaths as it returned his stare. Bolin pursed his lips as he glanced at the slightly unfocused look in its eyes, and tilted his head as the massive creature's tongue lolled limply from the side of its mouth.

Bolin leaned back with a tight grin as the Sky Bison rumbled and opened his mouth to reveal a wide maw. Pabu chittered in his curiosity as he hopped onto the Bison's nose, scrambling up his fur to sit on his head.

He glanced at Opal as she came over with a huge armful of hay, moving back to let her through. "You chose this one? He looks a little... sick."

"More like-" the Sky Bison unleashed a almighty sneeze that rumbled through its gargantuan frame, before opening its mouth and giving Opal a huge lick. Bolin yelped and held up his arms in some kind of defense. She bared her teeth with a tight smile at him. "...Juicy picked me..."

Juicy shook his head and yawned as Opal patted his cheek. "He's a very nice Bison, though. Just has a few allergies."

Juicy sneezed again.

Bolin frowned. "A few."

Opal smirked as she kneeled down and held the hay up to Juicy, who began to munch on the yellow stalks with a grateful grumble. A small grin grew on her as she got to her feet, giving his fur a quick rub before leaving him to graze on the grassy hill.

She projected a gust of wind from her palm and ran it over herself to blow off the sneeze's residue from her orange tunic, before joining Bolin as he laid down a picnic rug. She sat down on the rug, drawing her knees up close, watching him as he brought out a basket and set it in between them.

"So how's Republic City?"

Bolin shrugged with a smile. "Oh, it's all good. Although it was kinda difficult finding a place to live after me and Mako's apartment got wrecked by the spirit vines."

She frowned and turned to him. "Wait, you two are-"

He quickly held up his hands. "Everything's cool, don't worry. We've been living with our family while the apartment is rebuilt. Asami gave them her family's summer home to live in. We're not homeless."

Opal breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, good. Had me worried there for a second."

Bolin reached over and flipped up the lid of the basket. She reached her hand in to grab a grape, bringing it to her mouht just when Pabu raced over. He scrambled around her back and up to her shoulders before lunging at the grape, wrapping his entire body around it and chittering as he rolled to a halt on the rug. She giggled at the FIre Ferret's antics as Bolin handed her another grape.

"So what exactly do you do as a Air Disciple?"

She looked at him as she popped the grape into her mouth, talking around it. "Well, we go around and help anyone that needs our help." After swallowing she glanced to the side and shrugged. "I'm a little nervous, truth be told. I hope I'm good enough. All I've been able to think about is how I'm going to help so many people. Kai's going to be my partner, but for now it's just me."

Bolin chuckled. "Opal, you're smarter than me. There's nobody else I can think of that's more suited to helping people out than you."

Her cheeks tinged as she grinned. "Aw, that's really sweet." Opal blew a deep breath and nodded. "I'll try my best."

He smiled at her. "So, where's your first mission going to be?"

"Well, first I'll be looking around Ba Sing Se."

"Nobody in Republic City has been able to hear any news from Ba Sing Se since the Red Lotus killed the Earth Queen. What's it like?"

Opal's face fell. "Pretty bad. My job is to try and talk with any local leaders to begin work on making the city safe again. When I go back to Republic City, I'll tell Tenzin about what I find and we'll come back with a whole group of airbenders... I think that's what Korra would do."

She caught a glimpse of Bolin's fallen face before she closed her eyes, and her thoughts turned to Korra. Guilt was all she could feel sometimes after seeing her crippled by the Red Lotus. "I can't believe she's been hurt that badly. And all because of the Red Lotus. Maybe I could have helped or done something more to try and fight them, but instead I just got myself captured by that freaky waterbender. Kai was the only one that managed to get away."

Opal opened her eyes to see Bolin reaching a gentle hand to her shoulder. "Hey, don't blame yourself. The Red Lotus were the strongest benders in the world. They're the ones who crippled Korra, not you."

Again, she offered a small smile. "... I know," She reached up to touch his hand and sighed. "I just wish that Korra could be here. She's gotta be messed up because she can't help anybody. I just wish there was some way I could repay her."

"Ah. There you two are."

Opal glanced over her shoulder to see Kuvira standing on the path, her hands clasped behind her back. She raised a eyebrow at Pabu as he hopped down from Opal's shoulder and raced across the grass, climbing up her boots and chest to nestle in between the pauldron and collar of her armor. "Oh. Hello. Little thing."

Opal got to her feet as Bolin tried to beckon for Pabu to come back, but the ferret only chittered in response. "Sorry. Pabu does that."

"It's no matter." Kuvira held up her hand and launched a cable from her launcher that wrapped around Pabu and winched him off of her shoulder with a surprised squeak. She came over and deposited him in Bolin's palm. "I wanted to ask about whether you want to enlist with the Zaofu guard and see how we work."

Bolin rubbed his elbow and looked twice at the guard captain. "...guard duty? I can act, but I can't really... guard stuff."

Kuvira didn't skip a beat. "You used to be a pro-bender player, and from what I saw during the Red Lotus's infiltration of Zaofu you are very quick on your feet." Kuvira smirked and folded her arms. "In fact, most of my guards practice dancing or pro-bending on the side."

"Dancing? What does dancing have to do with guarding?"

"Being a dancer requires you to hone your flexibility and physical movement. It's perfect for practicing the movements needed for bending. Opal, you can even join in if you want."

"But... I still can't metalbend."

Kuvira watched him with a approving eye. "I'm sure with time, you'll pick it up. It took me a while before I could. Suyin was very proud of me when I did." She grinned. "Spirits, this will the first time I've danced in weeks."

Opal folded her arms with a look of shock. "Wait, you've been missing dance recitals? How come?"

Kuvira sighed. "I haven't had the time. My patrols have taken longer and longer each time. Sometimes they run through the night. Each time I've chased bandits back across the border, but they continue to come back to prey on any refugees coming to Zaofu." Kuvira closed her mouth. She winced as she looked at the two of them. "Su would kill me if she found out I was taking these patrols past our own territory."

Opal and Bolin looked at each other. "Why? Helping sounds like a good thing. We need to help all we can. It shouldn't matter if you have to go outside of Zaofu to help." Bolin said.

Opal nodded, before coming forward with a look of concern. "Kuvira. I know how much you respect my mom. But sometimes... you need to take a stand and let her know what you think. Before I left Republic City, Tenzin told me about how stretched the Air Nation will be trying to help the entire Earth Kingdom by ourselves. We could really use the help."

Kuvira furrowed her eyebrows and looked down at the grass. She worked her jaw, managing to sift through all of her thoughts. Finally she looked up at Opal with a unsure frown. "... If it's the right thing to do."

* * *

She glanced at a nearby owl-hawk hooting into the night from its perch and stopped on the steps into the Beifong Manor. Kuvira bowed her head, entering into another wrestling session with her thoughts before taking a deep breath and striding forwards towards the massive metal doors at the front entrance.

Habit made her wave her hand once at the intricate doors. They immediately pulled outwards, admitting her into the entry hall of the manor. She looked up at the second level walkways that ran the perimeter of the rectangular room, meeting in the center at a sweeping staircase with gentle curved steps that ran down to the ground floor.

Kuvira's boots clacked against the polished black marble as she made her way across and up the steps to the second level. Once there she came to another pair of metal doors, this time a grey-green hue with sharp angular carvings running up their surface.

Muffled laughter and chatter came out from behind them as she raised a hand up to knock. She took another deep breath and knocked a few times as firmly as she could, before grabbing the handle and pulling one of the doors open. She slipped through into the dining room, and stood in front of the door as the gathered members of the Beifong family looked her way.

At the corner of the U shaped dining table, Opal and Bolin both gave her encouraging smiles as she came forward and managed a quick nod at Opal. She cleared her throat. "Suyin? Can I talk to you for a moment?"

At the head of the table, Su nodded immediately, rising with a look of concern. "Of course, Kuvira." She glanced around the table at everyone. "I'll be back soon. This won't take a second."

Kuvira turned crisply and walked out of the dining room, holding the door open for Su before gently closing it. She turned from the door and walked across the second level of the entry hall into a main corridor leading to the west wing of the manor with dozens of doors on either side.

Behind her Su folded her arms and raised a eyebrow as she stopped in front of a door leading outside to balcony. "Aren't you going to tell me what's wrong?"

Kuvira didn't answer as she opened the doors and stepped out onto the balcony, where it overlooked the flank of the dining room. Inside its narrow windows, Kuvira could see the rest of the Beifongs laughing and carrying on as Wei and Wing shoved palms and elbows in each other's faces over a succulent chicken leg; Baatar Jnr rolled his eyes at a few groan worthy jokes from his father, Huan coolly took a sip of lychee juice as he regarded the chaos around him with disdain, and at the elbow of the table, Opal had her arms wrapped around her stomach as she cackled with laughter at Bolin's puppeteering of Pabu.

Kuvira's gaze lingered on the young couple the longest, and for a moment her mind went back to the drink she shared with Baatar at the tavern.

She looked away and took a breath to steel herself as Su stopped by her side with a worried glance, leaning on the metal railing. "Kuvira, you can always talk to me about anything." She grimaced when Kuvira frowned and looked down. "What's up?"

Below the railing, Kuvira clenched her fist and furrowed her eyebrows. She gritted her teeth as her silence dragged on. Kuvira ended it by closing her eyes, steeling her resolve with Baatar's words and Opal and Bolin's encouragement. She opened them and turned to Su. "...I want you to change your mind about helping the rest of the Earth Kingdom."

Su raised a eyebrow, her eyes searching Kuvira before she tilted her head. "Wasn't this matter already closed?"

Kuvira almost felt the urge to keep her mouth shut there and then, knowing that her confidence in Su wasn't misplaced or wrong. But Opal's words to her made her rethink that. She pressed on with a cautious tone. "It... I want you to reconsider your decision about helping rest of the Earth Kingdom."

"And what did you have in mind? I hope you don't expect me to take control of every state with our army. Who's going to protect Zaofu while we're gone?"

Su's words didn't hold a edge, but Kuvira could sense the steeled tone Suyin was known for. "If it provides safety and security to the common people, than I think that is what needs to happen." Kuvira pursed her lips before continuing. "We can provide that. We can provide for everyone."

The woman placed her hands on her hips with a surprised breath. "Am I hearing this, correctly? You want to return the free states back to a oppressive tyrant? Is this why you dragged me away from dinner with my family?"

Kuvira turned to her, focusing on the real issue. "Free? Su, the states aren't free at all. Bandits and warlords have entire cities at their mercy. The Earth Kingdom army is barely doing anything to stop them. Most of the time, they're the ones robbing people and sieging entire towns!"

A look of steel flashed in Suyin's eyes as they narrowed. "I've told you before and I'll tell you again, Kuvira. The answer is _no_. I refuse. I will not impose Zaofu's values on the rest of the Earth Kingdom!" She pushed away from the railing.

Kuvira swore under her breath and turned around, her arms held out in desperation. "This situation is beyond values, Su. We need to step in and restore order! Without it, lawlessness will overrun the entire continent and groups like the Dai Li will take power! There needs to be a balance! There needs to be unity! My guards and I have been the only ones strong enough to help anybody!"

Suyin stopped in her tracks. The look she had as she glanced over her shoulder froze Kuvira stiff. "I've talked to the other guards about these patrols you've been leading out beyond Zaofu's borders, and I'm telling you now that I'm putting a stop to them!" Suyin whirled on Kuvira. "You really think that risking the lives of our security force is going to fix everything? It's the Avatar's duty to balance the world, not yours, Kuvira!"

Kuvira couldn't take it. She gritted her teeth and advanced on Su. "The Avatar has been crippled! Nobody but the Metal Clan is strong enough to take her place! Su, please, order me to help keep the peace if you won't!" Kuvira reached out a hand to her but the older woman took a step back. "Please!-"

Suyin folded her arms and glared at her protege. "Alright then. You want a order? This is my direct order, captain. I forbid you from taking any men outside of Zaofu's territory!"

Kuvira's eyes widened and her hand fell by her side in dumbstruck silence.

Suyin had no warmth in her voice as she moved into the hallway, leaving Kuvira standing frozen on the balcony.

"I won't hear another word on the matter. Get back to your duties."

* * *

今

* * *

"...And that was the start of it. Nobody realized how bad things had gotten until Kuvira and Baatar left the city with Varrick, most of my mom's security force, and a few of Zaofu's wealthiest citizens. After Kuvira liberated Ba Sing Se from the Dai Li, Raiko and Tenzin chose to make her the provisional head of the Earth Kingdom. She said she was coming back to Zaofu on her own terms someday. I just wish it-"

Korra placed a hand on Opal's shoulder as the girl hung her chin. "Opal..."

Opal bowed her head. "I pushed her to try and talk my mom into leading Zaofu in bringing back peace to the Earth Kingdom. But. Kuvira and my mom started fighting over everything because of it. Mom only told me about what happened between them after Kuvira left Zaofu at the end of the month."

"Still... Kuvira was loyal to your mother. How could one argument have led to her commanding a army all over the Earth Kingdom?

"Because I got into trouble. And it showed Kuvira that she didn't need my mom's acceptance to go out and do what she wanted."

"Wasn't there some way Suyin could have stopped Kuvira from leaving like she did?"

Opal sighed and shook her head. "I don't know. Even after all was said and done, mom still thought Kuvira was a daughter to her. She blamed herself for being the one that pushed Kuvira to change."

She clutched her elbow and stared at her feet. Before long her eyes hardened. "But now she's threatening Zaofu and has mom and the twins as her hostages." Opal took a deep breath and stepped back from Korra, giving her a nod. She held up her hands. "Come on. Back to airbending. You'll need to be quick on your feet if you're going to beat Kuvira tomorrow."

Korra blinked twice and held up her hands, mimicking Opal's stance. Her eyes were uncertain as she gave a unsure nod. "...Right."

* * *

女兒

* * *

**A/N**

So, all aboard the continued feels train. Next stop; the gradual and comprehensive tearing apart of Su and Kuvira's mother-daughter relationship. And I'm taking the liberty of marking past scenes with the use of the chinese character for, well, past. Just to make things clear if you guys need it.

On another note, I am also intending to release the next chapter in the next five days or so, to bring my speed back to a regular pace. This goes the same for Raging Flame and the Changing Elements series too, Which reminds me. I'll be releasing the rest of Raging Flame in a single block by the middle of january.

And on another note, I want to go on record by saying that I am in complete and total shambles now that THE SERIES FINALE IS OVER. I mean, I _haven't watched it yet._ But GAH.

So yeah, review and stay tuned. :)


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